EUSTIS, Florida—A traffic stop for an expired tag ended in a trip to jail for a Eustis man after he bit one police officer in the groin area and kicked another one in the chest several times early Monday morning.
Around 2:45 a.m. a Eustis Police officer spotted a white SUV with an expired tag near State Road 19 and County Road 452, he initiated a traffic stop near County Road 44 and the vehicle finally came to a stop near Pine Meadows Golf Course Road, according to an arrest affidavit.
The driver, identified as Michael Lloyd Rodebush, 35, of Eustis, appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance, and told the officer he did not stop right away because he believed he was impersonating an officer, the affidavit states. The officer was driving a fully-marked patrol unit. Rodebush handed over his voided license, said it was suspended and made statements that did not make sense, the officer noted in the affidavit.
Officers arrived as backup, including a K9 handler with K9 Hulk and he alerted on the vehicle, giving officers probable cause to search. Officers found methamphetamine under Rodebush’s seat and ammunition in the passenger door pocket; Rodebush is a convicted felon, according to the affidavit.
Rodebush was taken into custody and placed into the back of a patrol car; an officer opened the back door to talk to Rodebush and he immediately tried to exit the patrol car and was acting “erratic,” the affidavit states.
Officers tried to put him back in the vehicle and he became “extremely aggressive,” biting one officer in the groin area and kicking another officer several times in the chest. He was placed into a five-point restraint and redirected back into the patrol car. Rodebush was arrested for possession of methamphetamine, two counts of battery on a law enforcement officer, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, resisting with violence and driving on a suspended license. He transported to the Lake County Jail, where a nurse stated he need to be transported to the hospital. After he was cleared at AdventHealth Waterman, he was transported back to LCJ, where he is being held on $23,000 bond.
